Congress on Monday put the onus of ensuring a peaceful bandh on the Modi government and said that Centre would be responsible for all the inconvenience caused to the people during the nationwide shutdown on Tuesday.
Congress Parliamentarians from Punjab also staged a sit-in protest near Parliament, demanding immediate convening of the Winter Session to discuss the plight of farmers and repeal the farm sector laws that has farmers across the nation up in arms against the Modi government.
Among those who joined the protest were Manish Tewari, Preneet Kaur, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Amar Singh, Gurjit Singh Aujla.
“The Adani-Ambani Farm Laws have to be revoked. Nothing less is acceptable,” former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said even as the party directed all state and district units to support the Bharat Bandh call given by the farmers’ organisations.
Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states have said that the 'Bharat Bandh' will not be successful and they have ensured adequate measures to prevent any incidents of violence.
Congress also hit back at the BJP for accusing it and the UPA of pushing for farm reforms while in government and opposing the same measures when out of power.
“BJP must realise that their overused, stale, repetitive stunts of blaming Pt Nehru and UPA will not end farmers' protest. Farmers who feed the entire nation are fed up with BJP's anti-farmer policies. Congress only wants one thing: ‘MSP Ka Haq-Kisan Ke Haath Mein Rakh’ (give farmers their right to MSP),” Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said.
Rajya Sabha member and Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda joined the agitating farmers on the Tikri border in West Delhi to express solidarity with their cause.